• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: The Car That Started a ’70s Car Design Craze
  • Inflation Reduction Act Paying Off as Battery Makers Invest Billions in U.S. Factories
  • Back in Production, Ford Again Raises Pricing for F-150 Lightning.
  • First Look: 2024 Hyundai Sonata
  • Despite Two Decades of Warnings, Distracted Driving Remains a Major Problem
  • Treasury Dept Ruling Expected to Cut EV Tax Credits
  • Sen. Manchin Threatening to Sue Over New EV Battery Rules
  • Ford Bolsters EV Supply Chain with $4.5B Nickel Processing Plant
  • Unified UAW Talks Tough Before Contract Talks with Detroit Three
  • Faraday Future May Have One: Production Begins
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Nissan Rogue Platinum AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Kia Soul GT-Line
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford Maverick Tremor
    • A Week With: 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro S
    • A Week With: 2023 Infiniti QX80
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV80 Prestige 3.5 Turbo
    • First Drive: 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T
    • First Drive: 2023 Dodge Hornet GT
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70
    • First Drive: 2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce AWD
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > reviews > First Drive: 2023 Toyota Crown Platinum

        First Drive: 2023 Toyota Crown Platinum

        Toyota brings its crown to America.

        Jeff Zurschmeide
        Jeff Zurschmeide , Executive Editor
        Oct. 25, 2022

        Given the American obsession with SUVs, it might strike anyone as a little funny that Toyota decided to bring out a sedan as the company’s new top-of-the-line vehicle. 

        2023 Toyota Crown front 3/4 white
        Toyota is replacing the venerable Avalon with the all-new Crown, a well-known nameplate in Japan coming to the U.S. for the first time.

        But once you get your head under the all-new 2023 Crown, it doesn’t seem so ridiculous after all. Toyota has a few tricks in the works that could make SUV-crazed Americans consider an untraditional sedan. 

        Overview

        The Crown is all new, representing the 16th generation of a nameplate that’s been going since 1955. Yes, you read that right. The Crown nameplate has always indicated the top of the line for Toyota cars. In America, this generation of the Crown replaces the venerable Avalon, which was sold as the top Toyota sedan in the U.S. for the past 28 years. 

        The 2023 Crown represents an all-new take on Toyota’s top model. It’s a hybrid, with all-wheel drive, and a raised ride height that delivers some of the crossover SUV qualities that have caused that segment to surge past sedans. 

        But the Crown is also rated by the EPA as a midsize sedan. That creates questions about whether Crown sales will pull buyers off Toyota’s bread-and-butter midsize sedan, the Camry. However, we don’t think so, and we’ll tell you why we think the Crown is going to be more of a halo car for the Toyota brand than a volume seller like the Camry or Corolla. 

        2023 Toyota Crown side
        The Crown is all new, representing the 16th generation of a nameplate that’s been going since 1955.

        Exterior

        The first thing you notice about the Crown is that it’s a substantial vehicle. It’s only a few inches longer, wider and taller than the Camry, but it has the presence of a crossover SUV with a fastback roofline and short, coupe-style rear deck over its four-door design. 

        Then you’ll notice that the doors are large, like an SUV, and the taller ride height is complemented by a fairly tall door and comparatively shorter greenhouse for the cabin. Here again, the similarities to a crossover are notable. 

        With those features noted, the Crown is a good-looking car. It’s a new design that will attract attention and could easily be mistaken for one of the European brand fastback sedans of the last few years. Toyota has also raised the stakes with a selection of two-tone paint schemes that make the Crown all the more striking. 

        2023 Toyota Crown rear 3/4 white
        The Crown boasts a new design that will attract attention and could easily be mistaken for one of the recent European brand fastback sedans.

        Interior

        Slide into the driver’s seat, and Toyota’s strategy becomes completely clear. With the Crown, you don’t have to climb up into the cabin as you do with so many SUVs, but neither do you have to lower yourself into the seat as is necessary with many sport sedans. The Crown places the seats at a good height for a comfortable, easy entry. That may not sound like much, but the demographic that’s going to shop the Crown will appreciate not having to perform gymnastics to get in or out. 

        Once inside, the Crown delivers a premium experience, at least in the upper trim levels. Heated and ventilated leather seats are available, and there’s plenty of room in front and back. You can seat five adults in reasonable comfort in this car, again taking a page from the crossover SUV market. 

        The layout of screens, controls and functions is clean and easy to use. Hallelujah, there’s a real set of climate controls, so you don’t have to go hunting around the menu system to try to puzzle out how to turn on the defroster in the morning. 

        2023 Toyota Crown half interior
        The layout of screens, controls and functions is easy to use. Plus, there’s a set of climate controls, so you don’t have to go hunting.

        Powertrain

        The new Crown comes in two flavors. There’s the basic Crown Hybrid, which features a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with a hybrid motor in front, paired with an electric motor at the back for AWD. This setup yields 236 net system horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque, with a continuously variable transmission. This system is optimized for fuel economy, rated at 42 mpg in city driving and 41 mpg on the highway, but it will still dash from 0-60 in a respectable 7.6 seconds, and deliver the winter traction benefits of AWD. The Crown XLE and Limited come with this driveline. 

        The top Platinum trim of the Crown comes with a system Toyota calls Hybrid Max. This pairs a 2.4-liter turbocharged gas engine with the front hybrid system, and the corresponding electric motor for the rear wheels. This system is rated up to 340 net system hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. You get the 0-60 run in a more exciting 5.7 seconds, but you sacrifice fuel economy down to 29 mpg city and 32 mpg highway.

        2023 Toyota Crown cockpit
        The Crown Platinum is rated up to 340 net system hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. You get the 0-60 run in a more exciting 5.7 seconds.

        Honestly, it’s worth the money and the fuel economy hit to get the Platinum trim with Hybrid Max. It feels more powerful than it is, and it imbues the Crown with the gravitas that a range-topping car should have. Accelerating onto the freeway or making a pass comes easy with the extra power, and you’re still getting better fuel economy than you’d expect in a car of this size. 

        Safety and Technology

        The Crown benefits from the third generation of Toyota’s advanced driver assistance system, called Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. It’s actually more than the third generation, since there was a TSS 2.5 that’s still in production. The 3.0 adds better detection of motorcyclists and guardrails, and it will detect vehicles approaching from the sides. The newest version also includes full speed range adaptive cruise control, and better performance for lane management and lane tracing around curves.

        New tech in TSS 3.0 includes a proactive driving assistance feature, which gently uses steering and throttle control in case you wander too close to another vehicle, pedestrian, or bicyclist. Blind spot monitoring is also standard. 

        2023 Toyota Crown front seats
        With the Crown, you don’t have to climb up into the cabin as you do with so many SUVs.

        In terms of dashboard tech, the Crown brings you the best Toyota has to offer. The driver information display is a 12.3-inch screen, and you get another 12.3-inch screen for infotainment. The only difference between the system in the base XLE trim and the Limited or Platinum trims is six ordinary speakers versus 11 JBL speakers. 

        You still get support for wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for phone integration. All trims get a nifty Qi wireless charging pocket, and your phone sits upright in the pocket. It will fit the latest ProMax sized iPhones, even in a protective case. 

        Driving Impressions

        The Crown is going to be successful because it brings in the key elements of the crossover SUV driving experience, paired with the best aspects of a larger sedan. It’s got plenty of power under the hood, and its comparatively lower center of gravity will remind drivers of what they always liked about a sedan. Most of all, the slight raised ride height gives drivers that up-high viewpoint they like, without having to climb up to get it. 

        Toyota, as usual, has done a great job with regeneration and braking, making the whole Crown driving experience a smooth and intuitive process. There are no “oh, yeah, that’s the hybrid system” quirks that you’ll have to learn to live with. You can buy a Crown and forget that it’s a hybrid. Just drive it and enjoy the performance.

        2023 Toyota Crown Platinum Specifications

        DimensionL: 196.1 inches/W: 72.4 inches/H: 60.6 inches/Wheelbase: 112.2 inches
        Weight4,396 pounds
        Powertrain2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine w/hybrid; CVT
        Fuel Economy29 mpg city/32 mpg highway/30 mpg combined
        Performance Specs340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque
        PriceBase price: $39,950; As tested: $53,445 including $1,095 destination charge.
        On-Sale DateAvailable now

        Wrap Up

        The 2023 Toyota Crown is expected to arrive at Toyota dealerships in early 2023. With supply chain issues, it might be smart to get your name on the list sooner rather than later. 

        2023 Toyota Crown rear seats
        The Crown benefits from the third generation of Toyota’s advanced driver assistance system, called Toyota Safety Sense 3.0.

        One thing to talk about before we leave the Crown is the inevitable comparison with the Camry, which is a midsize sedan and most years, the most popular passenger car in America. The Crown is only a few inches bigger than the Camry in any given dimension, but it feels very different and decidedly upscale.

        Where the Camry’s appeal is being a good value on an economy family sedan, the Crown is a step upwards in performance, luxury, features, and in price. The price of a Crown will start at the top end of the Camry price walk, with the Crown XLE trim starting at $39,950. Then you’ll step up to $45,550 for the Limited grade and $52,350 for the top Platinum grade. 

        Among the three trim options, we’d recommend going all the way to Platinum if you’re going to buy a Crown at all, because you might as well get the nice leather and heat/ventilation, and the Hybrid Max driveline. If you want a Toyota that can compete with European sedans, don’t skimp out when it counts. 

        2023 Toyota Crown Platinum — Frequently Asked Questions

        Where will the 2023 Toyota Crown be built?

        Aichi, Japan.

        Is the Toyota Crown a luxury car? 

        Yes, in Japan the Crown has always been considered a luxury car.

        How much ground clearance is available on the 2023 Toyota Crown?

        According to Toyota, 5.8 inches.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        2023 Nissan Altima SR 2.0 VC-Turbo best

        A Week With: 2023 Nissan Altima SR 2.0 VC-Turbo

        March 01, 2023

        A Week With: 2023 Acura Integra A-Spec

        Feb. 24, 2023
        2023 BMW i7 best

        A Week With: 2023 BMW i7 xDrive60

        Feb. 22, 2023

        What Are You Looking For?

        See More
        Buying a Sedan? See our recommended reviews and guides.
        Buying a Sedan? See our recommended reviews and guides.
        Reviews and Resources When You Are Looking For a New Car
        Collection
        Car Reviews and Guides
        Collection

        Car Reviews and Guides
        Recommends
        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends

        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends
        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends

        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends
        7 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Recommends

        7 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Close
        Reviews and Resources When You Are Looking For a New Car
        Collection
        Car Reviews and Guides
        Collection

        Car Reviews and Guides
        Recommends
        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends

        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends
        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends

        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends
        7 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Recommends

        7 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Close
        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: